Why Alex Morgan was not selected for the USWNT in the Olympic Games
Alex Morgan and the U.S. Women’s National Team have been synonymous for the past 14 years. However, on Wednesday, shocking news of her exclusion from a major tournament with such a team surfaced, where she has been instrumental and significantly elevated its standards over time.
Morgan was left out of Coach Emma Hayes’ 18-player Olympic roster for the USWNT, and she is not among the four alternates traveling to France. Instead, she will be watching the USWNT in a major tournament from afar for the first time since earning her first cap in March 2010. The last time the USWNT played a major tournament without Morgan was in the 2008 Olympics.
This is not necessarily the end she might have imagined—and perhaps she still hopes it isn’t entirely—but Wednesday’s news was a stark reminder that very few athletes advance on their terms.
Morgan took to social media to share her frustration over missing the opportunity to compete for her country at the Olympics today.”It’s always been a tournament close to my heart, and whenever I win, I am immensely proud.” What effects will Morgan’s absence have on the USWNT during the Olympics and going forward?
In discussions with journalists on Wednesday, Hayes emphasized how challenging it is to select only 16 outfield players for the Olympic roster. She praised Morgan both as a person and a player, having recently worked together during a USWNT camp. Ultimately, however, Morgan is a rare breed as a pure number 9—a striker who should play centrally. Over a decade, her surroundings have filled in, and her skill set, combined with the depth chart of the USWNT, aligns it correctly.
However, Morgan will turn 35 next week, and the pool of USWNT players has become younger in recent years, as most of Morgan’s previous generation teammates have retired from international play or moved on. This USWNT Olympic roster is, on average, four years younger compared to the roster from the previous Olympics.
The group also boasts versatile talents—from electric Sofia Smith to Morgan’s San Diego Wave teammate, 19-year-old Jaiden Shaw, who can play anywhere in the front four positions.
Versatility is precisely what Hayes sooner or later opted for. Smith, Mallory Swanstrom, and Trinity Rodman’s fluidity and accuracy shone brightly inside the group’s remaining in shape whilst Swanstrom came off the bench and troubled South Korea’s worn-out defense after Smith changed Morgan. Five mins after entering, Rodman dribbled and found Swanstrom with a delicate backheel flick, who scored.
“It’s necessary to have a roster that can adapt,” Hayes instructed reporters on Wednesday. “We benefit from a quick turnover of games, making it essential for our team’s intensity to have players who can seamlessly switch roles. However, I also believe that”there are players in the roster who are performing well in their respective regions, and the decision to consist of the ones gamers was one we carefully taken into consideration.”
“But I trust it’s a balanced roster.” I have taken into consideration all of the elements in order to be wished for the duration of the Olympics, and [the roster] is one which absolutely makes me glad.” Morgan brings a wealth of various abilties over an extended period of time, for which she is often credited. She burst onto the scene in 2010 as a 20-12 months-old with blistering pace to punish defenses. Her game earned her the nickname she later embraced, “Baby Horse,” and her fashion ideally suited the immediately-ahead play of the USWNT.
Instead of choosing a greater conventional forward role, Hayes selected to lean closer to a more dynamic forward institution that isn’t limited to traditional roles. Smith will work as a range of nine, able to run from in the back of and create a grip on carrier, but she will want to be vast to enable Swanstrom and Rodman to reduce inner and find the ball close to the internet. Shaw also can do the same.
All these players are extra innovative at the dribble than Morgan, defining her evolution in the sport. It became part of how Americans defeated Spain inside the Round of sixteen in 2019.
Recently, however, her position in the USWNT has been more challenged, however she has usually replied. Former USWNT head teach Vlatko Andonovski tried to rebuild the group in 2022 and saw Katarina Macario as the brand new number 9. The plan, which initially saw Morgan excluded from the roster on the begin of the 12 months, ended while Macario tore her ACL.
Morgan lower back to the crew for the 2022 World Cup/Olympic Qualifying event, wherein she gained the Golden Ball. She responded with the excellent membership season of her career in 2022, scoring 15 dreams to win the Golden Boot. No idea of the national group with out her became fast forgotten.
ESPN News: https://www.espn.in/
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